Justin A. Cohn

About Ice Chips

Justin A. Cohn, pro sports coordinator for The Journal Gazette, has been covering the Fort Wayne Komets since 1997. His reporting includes game stories from home and away, features about the players and personalities associated with the Komets, plus coverage of issues affecting hockey at all levels. A native of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Cohn graduated from Emory University in Atlanta. He can be reached at 260-461-8429 or by email at
jcohn@jg.net.

January 31, 2008

I won't claim that there's nearly enough hitting in the International Hockey League. But I went to the Detroit Red Wings' game Wednesday night -- they defeated the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 -- and I probably saw six hits the entire game. That's pathetic. The IHL would probably have 10 checks, also pathetic, but at least better. I'm a little disgruntled that I have to turn on the NHL Network just to see some good old-fashioned hitting. There also isn't all the nauseating advertising in the classic games they show. Such is life in the new world of pro hockey, though. Thanks, Gary Bettman.

The Detroit Free Press reported what many were whispering about last weekend at Perani Arena: The Red Wings are offering Darren McCarty a tryout with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League, after his short stint with Flint of the IHL.

Former Komets player Rob Weingartner, now coaching Wichita in the Central Hockey League, had quite the tantrum in a recent game.

January 29, 2008

Attention Komets coach Al Sims, you may want to take a look at the goings on with Indiana -- Pennsylvania, that is.

That's where Fort Wayne native and former Komets goaltender Brian Gratz is coaching. His Indiana Ice Miners of the five-team Mid-Atlantic Hockey League are on a 21-game winning streak and are 26-1-0.

Some of the statistics are staggering: Indiana has a 22-point lead on second-place Wooster; Indiana has outscored the opposition 206-81; Justin Depretis has 46 goals, 77 points and a plus-47 rating in 24 games. Goaltender Nick Niedert, who once had a tryout with the Komets, is 19-1-0 with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.

Surely, there's someone there for potential call-up down the road? Couldn't hurt to take a look now. Other teams already are doing that.

January 26, 2008

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- The Komets have dropped back-to-back games in regulation for only the second time this season, after losing 5-4 to the Muskegon Fury at L.C. Walker Arena.

As goaltender Kevin Reiter said: "Anyone scores two short-handed goals and you know it's not going to go your way that night."

The Komets were up 3-1 late in the first period, before the Fury got its pair of short-handed goals in a span of 33 seconds. That was the end of Reiter's night -- he stopped 8 of 11 shots -- and that came after he was pulled with one save on three shots in Friday's 5-1 loss at Flint, Mich.

Let me compliment Reiter on his professionalism after a tough weekend -- he didn't decline an interview -- and he also said the right things. He said he didn't play well enough, that he felt badly for throwing backup Nick Boucher into the fire, that sometimes a goalie change is the spark a team needs, and that he'll be ready and better when the next game rolls around Wednesday at Bloomington, Ill.

He chose his words carefully when asked if he agreed with being pulled; but it was clear he would have preferred to stay in the game and battle tonight.

What did coach Al Sims say? "I didn't like the goals we were giving up, so I'm gonna make a change. That's my call."

Sims added, Boucher wasn't immune. The game-winning goal, scored from long range by Sheldon Wing, with Boucher way out of the net, was one Sims felt should have been stopped.

But let's not lay this all on the goalies. The Komets are supposedly the top-rated defensive team in the International Hockey League, or that's what the statistics read, yet they looked lost at times without David Hukalo and Mathieu Curadeau in the lineup. (Both should be back Wednesday.) And even though they claimed it was in the line of being aggressive, all the stick-handling in front of their own net should make any Fort Wayne fan very nervous.

So this should all be a lesson to the Komets that they have a long way to go. And I have to believe the Fury is the team they'd like least to see in the playoffs -- Fort Wayne is 1-3-1 at L.C. Walker Arena and just gets flummoxed by the Fury.

But when you think about it, aren't our standards high? Two losses and it seems like the world is caving in. Maybe not, but three in a row would be bad.

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- Greetings from snowy Muskegon, where the Komets will be trying to erase the bad memories of Friday's 5-1 loss at Flint, Mich. The Komets will go with goaltender Kevin Reiter, who was yanked after allowing two goals on three shots at Flint.

Make sure you check out Bob Chase's interview between the second and third periods on WOWO, 1190 AM, with forward Olivier Legault. Due to a case of mistaken identity, Legault was questioned by police before today's game, as he was walking back to the hotel from Quiznos Subs. Good thing he had his identification with him and, presumably, the police weren't Fury fans.

Meanwhile, the Komets will again be without forwards David Hukalo (flu) and Mathieu Curadeau, who was called up by Worcester of the American Hockey League.

January 25, 2008

FLINT, Mich. -- Plain and simple, the Komets didn't come to play tonight. The Flint Generals did. The result: a lopsided 5-1 victory in favor of the Generals, who pulled to within seven points of the league-leading Komets.

Fort Wayne coach Al Sims, as you can hear if you listen to the audio at the end of this post, said he continually warned his team not to take the Generals lightly. The message apparently didn't sink in.

The Komets were out-hustled and out-mustled at the beginning of the game and were unable to recover. Though they improved after the first 10 minutes or so, wow, they gave up a ton of odd-man rushes and breakaways. The best player on the ice may have been Fort Wayne goalie Nick Boucher, who had missed the previous 14 games with a groin injury.

After he came in, the first shot he faced was a breakaway. The second was a penalty shot. He stopped them both, but then gave up a goal to Jarred Dumba. Boucher went on to stop 28 of 31 shots, after starter Kevin Reiter stopped 1 of 3.

The penalty shot still had people scratching their heads in the Fort Wayne locker room, especially because referee Bob Landon supposedly told the Komets it was because Sergei Durdin pulled Michel Beausoliel down at the blue line. Maybe so, but Beausoliel still got up, got almost in the clear again and got a clean shot on goal. How can that be cause for a penalty shot? Anyway, that part didn't matter in the end.

This game should serve as a reminder to the Komets, the Generals have plenty of time to overtake them in the standings. They can't have hiccups like tonight if they want to win a championship.

I wonder if not having David Hukalo and Mathieu Curadeau in the lineup rattled the Komets' confidence defensively? I also wonder if Reiter is a little less comfortable knowing he's got competition for playing time again. And did all the time off affect Brent Henley's right hook? I doubt all counts, but maybe we should watch these things Saturday at Muskegon, Mich.

FLINT, Mich. -- Late in the second period, the Komets trail the Flint Generals 4-0.

The real excitement in this period came when John DiPace sent Fort Wayne's Brent Henley into the boards. Henley responded by cross-checking him from behind, into the ice, then sucker-punching him. Later, after DiPace said something to him, Henley threw more punches. Amazingly, Henley got two minor penalties for roughing -- about one misconduct and one minor less than he deserved -- and DiPace got a minor for boarding. I don't mean to discount the boarding, but Henley really got away with some stuff there.

FLINT, Mich. -- The Komets trail the Flint Generals 3-0 late in the first period and have been beaten about every which way. They gave up their goals in the first 3:25, saw starter Kevin Reiter get pulled and Brent Henley and Olivier Legault both got handled in their fights.

Reiter was yanked after giving up two goals on the first three shots and it looked like coach Al Sims was just going to give him a breather, but then Nick Boucher stopped a penalty shot from Michel Beausoliel and he's looked decent since. The Komets' defense? Not so much.

The penalty shot was a farce, I thought, because Beausoliel was never in the clear and still got a good attempt off. The referee is Bob Langdon, by the way.

Henley fought Kris Mallette and it looked more like a wrestling match than anything. Legault tussled with Ryan Jorde, who celebrated by throwing his arms in the air when he came off the ice. That was tacky when he played for the Komets and it still is.

FLINT, Mich. -- After missing 14 games with a groin injury, goaltender Nick Boucher is back in the lineup. After missing 10 games with head/neck/shoulder injuries, defenseman Kevin Hansen is also on the ice for the Komets, who take on the Flint Generals tonight. Forward Olivier Legault is also out there, after sitting three games.

That's the good news.

But the Komets are without forward David Hukalo, who has the flu and also won't play Saturday at Muskegon, Mich. Center Mathieu Curadeau remains on call-up with Worcester of the American Hockey League, though he should be back Monday.

To make room for Boucher, the Komets placed seldom-used goalie Corey Wogtech on injured reserve.

For the third time this season, Bloomington lost a star player to Europe. Jarrod Skalde, a former NHL player, will play in Austria. As an outsider looking in, one of two things has to be going on: Someone in the region is recruiting players away from the league, particularly Bloomington; or the players don't like the coach.

January 24, 2008

Mercifully, we don't have an All-Star Game in our little six-team International Hockey League this season. Nonetheless, I've received e-mails from readers wanting to know who would have played in such a game.

It was a little difficult, especially since so many would-be all-stars have left the league. Also picking goalies was tough because the numbers don't hold up for a lot of them. Even with Reiter -- you could make an argument he isn't the best goalie on his own team, but he does have five shutouts.

January 22, 2008

Here's an example of why the Komets' players are enjoying coach Al Sims.

He spent some time the past couple of weeks phoning teams in the higher-level American Hockey League to let them know how his players are doing, to suggest they take a look at some of them.

"I wanted to get their names out," Sims said.

On Tuesday it paid off as the Worcester Sharks of the AHL called up center Mathieu Curadeau, who has 19 goals and 29 points in 40 games with the Komets. Curadeau is a rookie, who is capable at both ends of the ice.

"It's a good opportunity for Mathieu," said Sims, who drove Curadeau to the airport to wish him well.

Curadeau will be in the lineup Wednesday against the Manchester Monarchs, after which Worcester will make a determination on whether it will keep him.

January 19, 2008

I know you've been itching to find out from this rulebook owner, so let's address the "face-masking" penalty.

But first, praise be give to the International Hockey League for giving rulebooks to the reporters, something that United Hockey League regime strangely and pathetically refused to do, lest we actually learn how the game was played.

Anyway, yeah, face-masking -- it is a penalty. While myself, Komets management, some players and those in the 600-level concession stands scoured the pages of the rule book trying to figure out how referee Jim Hawthorne had tossed Kevin Bertram for a football penalty, and kept coming up empty, the light bulb went off when the announcement was changed from a game misconduct to a match penalty. Sure enough, in a table of options for match penalties, "grabbing of the face mask" is there.

So, it does exist.

Even if it didn't, the referee does have a lot of latitude to call penalties that involve fisticuffs and, believe it or not, fisticuffs is pretty broadly defined -- it can be one guy shoving another -- and Hawthorne would have found a way to toss Bertram.

Which leads us to this question: Did Bertram do anything deserving of a penalty? Yes, he was yanking on the guy's helmet trying to get him to fight. Did it deserve anything more than two minutes in the box? Not in my opinion.

Anyway, because it was a match penalty, it has to be reviewed, but I don't expect there to be any suspension because of it.

And by the way, the Komets defeated the Muskegon Fury 2-1. P.C. Drouin scored on a penalty shot and those have been anything but guaranteed goals for the Komets through the years. Colin Chaulk netted the game-winner on a power play after Dan Carney hauled down David Hukalo late in the game.

Believe me, the Komets don't enjoy facing the Fury. They feel they test them a ton. No arguing that.

For those wondering who Drouin was waving to after he scored -- it was his brother in law. Drouin, by the way, has three goals and 17 points in 12 games since his first child was born.

It's nothing new for European teams to give lucrative contract offers to players from North America -- although, many end up coming back after their paychecks bounce or don't even arrive -- but maybe the recent departures are just magnified because the IHL has only six teams.

Or, one could argue not everyone is sold on the caliber of play or their safety in a league that's promoting toughness and not appropriately punishing dirty hits like the one Justin Rohr dished out to Kevin Hansen a couple weeks back.

Or, maybe these have been cases of players not happy on league's two worst teams. After all, players aren't jumping ship in Fort Wayne or Flint.

Only time will tell, but it's certainly a situation to be monitored.

Can't say I'm disappointed the IHL didn't have an All-Star Game this year. Nothing like seeing tight defensive hockey like this gem from the Central Hockey League.

I wonder what this guy would have thought about the United Hockey League's old month-to-month jersey switcheroos. Great line from writer Greg Wyshynski: "... it flies in the face of the most basic tenets of classic drama: The good guys wear white, the villains wear the dark colors. Well, that was until 'Return of the Jedi' ..."

As a Red Wings fan, all hail writer George James Malik. See the last line: "If suffocating trap hockey and organizational arrogance equal the formula to capture 'Hockeytown's' title, the boring Wild can keep it. The Wings just keep on winning instead."

Finally, I need your help. Who do you feel the best fighters in the IHL are and I don't mean guys who have only fought once this season, although you can include Brent Henley. E-mail me at jcohn@jg.net or put it in the comments section.

The Fort Wayne Komets defeated the Flint Generals 4-2 on Wednesday, increasing their lead in the International Hockey League standings to seven points.

David Hukalo's two goals stole the show and Konstantin Shafranov had two assists, though his goal-scoring streak came to a halt at six games.

Defenseman Brent Henley was back in the lineup after missing 17 games with a knee injury. It was only his second game of the season after offseason knee surgery.

"I want to say thanks to the fans," said Henley, who got a standing ovation. "When I stepped on the ice, that meant a lot to me."

Henley vowed he would play again Friday and that there might even be a third game in a row.

Kevin Reiter's shutout streak came to an end after he allowed a goal 1:41 into the game. That put him at 181:41 of shutout hockey, but he fell short of the franchise record of 198:24, set by Mike O'Neill in 1991, which came over four games.

Reiter and backup Corey Wogtech combined for 189:02, just missing the franchise record for scoreless hockey by a duo of 189:27, set by Kevin St. Pierre and Kevin Kurk in 2006, in the United Hockey League.

Meanwhile, Darren McCarty was cheered heavily by the Memorial Coliseum fans. In the fifth game of his attempted comeback to the NHL, he was scoreless and had a penalty for the Generals.

I wish I could tell you where Shafranov's goal-scoring streak ranks in the IHL record book, but unfortunately the league doesn't even know what the record for consecutive games with a goal is yet. They hope to have that information by next season but are unsure if they'll be confident in the record-keeping from the old IHL at any time. Alas, one more reason they should have used the opportunity of morphing from the UHL to the new IHL to start anew with the records instead of sentimentally dredging up the old numbers which, apparently, they may never have.

January 14, 2008

This isn't directly Komets related, but I had to share this with you. I've seen some mean things from fans in my day, but this took the cake. After the third quarter of the Colts' 28-24 loss to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, the NFL honored the winners of the Punt, Pass & Kick competitions for kids. One of them was an adolescent girl from New Hampshire, who happened to be sponsored by the New England Patriots, and the RCA Dome crowd booed her heavily.

Wow, at least the kid laughed it off.

Anyway, that was more harsh than when the Memorial Coliseum crowd cheers referees for taking pucks to the midsection or players from other teams getting injured. Hmm, well, maybe not.

In more hockey-related news, general manager David Franke believes defenseman Brent Henley will be in the lineup Wednesday when the Komets play host to the Flint Generals, but he said he'll have a better idea as the game approaches as they evaluate how his knee feels.

Defenseman Kevin Hansen, who has been out with a head/neck/shoulder injury, won't play Wednesday but is possible to return this weekend.

January 12, 2008

The Komets are swearing that defenseman Brent Henley will be back in the lineup, for only the second time this season, when they play host to the Flint Generals on Wednesday night.

Certainly, that would have nothing to do with former Detroit Red Wings tough guy Darren McCarty slated to play in that game. Certainly not.

Anyway, Jessica Simpson has been cast in movies, and Don Johnson cut a record, so I suppose anything is possible and Henley could actually put on a jersey. I don't mean to be so pessimistic, but after this much attention for one player, anything less than four goals, four fights, a plus-4 rating and an immediate call-up to the Boston Bruins, and his return performance will have been a disappointment.

I'm jesting. Henley's return from knee injuries can only make the Komets better and I hope it does come soon. Here's more reason why, in case you missed it.

January 11, 2008

Wow, I didn't know Olivier Legault had it in him. I mean, he's had some decent fights, but with one shot he dismantled an enforcer, David Segal, in the third period. (Note to whomever has video: send to jcohn@jg.net for posting, or you can check out some video here at WANE's site.)

Segal was woozy and had to be helped off the ice, after the punch which could be heard in the 600 level. It's moments like that which make some Komets legendary around here.

In more important news, the Komets defeated the Muskegon Fury 3-0. Goaltender Kevin Reiter, who was yanked in the previous game, a 5-4 loss at Bloomington, Ill., had a 15-save shutout. His night was highlighted by a breakaway stop on Mike Watt.

The Komets got goals from Colin Chaulk, Terry Marchant and Konstantin Shafranov, as they pretty much dominated the Fury.

Speaking of which, I got e-mails this week from Fury fans asking what I think is wrong with their team. I took an informal poll at the arena tonight and some people told me they're just too slow, others said not tough enough, other said they have some complacent veterans.

What's my opinion? I'm just not sure if they're supposed to be a finesse team or a tough team. I wish they had more of coach Bruce Ramsay's persona -- he was a heckuva tough player -- because then they'd be fun to watch. Tonight, they bored me to tears.

Well, at least until the third-period fracases. Komets vice-president Scott Sproat was able to get me some video of the Mitch Woods-Mark Cadotte scrap: Download woods_vs. Cadotte.AVI

It was the Komets' first game against Justin Rohr, whose check from behind still has Kevin Hansen watching games from the press box, but the Komets sought no retribution even though he got a laughable one-game suspension from the league. Heck, it looked like the Komets were making a point of staying away from Rohr. That doesn't surprise me at all; these things are always much ado about nothing these days.

But given the situation, you'd think the league wouldn't have sent a referee (Bob Langdon) and one linesman (Jameson Gronert) that no one around here had ever heard of before. And, yes, they did miss quite a few calls early in the game. But they did let the boys play and that was nice to see.

January 10, 2008

If you get the chance, pick up the Jan. 8 issue of The Hockey News. There's a feature on former Komets goaltender Robbie Irons, who is the team's color broadcaster, and has one of the shortest careers in NHL history. It was only three minutes.

In the story, written by Corey Erdman, Irons is compared with the character Moonlight Graham from "Field of Dreams," who said, "Back then, I thought, 'Well, there'll be other days.' I didn't realize that was the only day."

Defenseman Kevin Hansen will not play this weekend for the Komets, coach Al Sims said. Hansen is out with head/neck/shoulder pain after he was hit from behind by Muskegon's Justin Rohr last week. The Komets and the Fury play Friday at Memorial Coliseum.

Defenseman Brent Henley is possible to play Friday. I also hear Marvin Harrison could play for the Colts this weekend. And that the Loch Ness Monster is real.

The Flint Generals are apparently about to get better. They're adding Jaroslov Cesky to the lineup, according to the Flint Journal.

Not sure who much credence to give this, but there are rumors that the Chicago Hounds, who went dormant after one season in the United Hockey League, are going to resurface playing in Dundee, Ill. I'll believe it when I see it.

Former Hounds and Komets coach Greg Puhalski, recently hired by Wheeling of the ECHL, has brought former Fort Wayne player Kelly Miller to the Nailers. Wheeling is 1-0-1 since 'Chief' took over.

January 09, 2008

Here's a look at today's story on Luciano Aquino. Aquino has a chance to be one of the best players to come through Fort Wayne in years and I think coach Al Sims sees that, explaining why he's sometimes tough on his star.

There's a story out of The Bloomington Pantagraph, in which coach Derek Booth explains why his stars keep bolting for Europe. It's nothing new for European teams to overpay for North American talent. Strange, though, that every team in the International Hockey League isn't losing players left and right, so I'm not completely buying his explanations about it being purely financial.

Click here to read some rare criticism out of The Muskegon Chronicle on the direction the Fury is headed.

Former Detroit Red Wings star Darren McCarty was scoreless and minus-1 in his debut with the Flint Generals, a 5-4 loss to the Fury today.

Gary Cook, who orchestrated the Thunder Bay championships in the former Colonial/United Hockey League, has died.

January 06, 2008

Brandon Warner is obviously a quick healer. He sat out only three games with a separated shoulder, before begging his way back into the lineup. He had a goal and an assist Sunday, his third game back, as Fort Wayne defeated the Kalamazoo Wings 4-2.

According to Fort Wayne coach Al Sims, Warner has the second-hardest shot on the team behind P.C. Drouin. That was obvious as Warner, the Huntertown native, rocketed shots from the point during the power play.

Also standing out was forward Terry Marchant, who had a goal and three assists and has really come on lately.

I had set the over/under in penalty minutes for this game at 35. There were 42, so I expect apologies from those of you who thought I was off my rocker in predicting another game of pleasantries, even with these teams playing back-to-back days in the same arena.

Seriously, I've seen more heated episodes of "The Backyardigans." Are we ever going to get a real rivalry in these parts? Every time I think we've got one, it fizzles.

For those of you wondering if Luciano Aquino will be called up, don't fret. Sources have said there was essentially a gentleman's agreement between Bridgeport of the American Hockey League and the Komets that they wouldn't call him up. "Don't you think they would have already?" one person told me. An NHL organization could conceivably trade for him, however, but that's unlikely.

I'm still stunned by referee Kevin Graber's call of a double-minor for Maxsim Shirokov in the second period, for "butt-ending" a guy with all the force of a Kleenex in the wind. One penalty was a pointless call; a double minor was laughable. But this is the same league that saw Wings coach Brian Curran get tossed from Saturday's game for, I've been told, yelling at the referee after one whistle and then sarcastically clapping after another. So what do you expect?

I'm not trying to incite anything here, but the word around Komets camp is that some players aren't happy with Muskegon's Justin Rohr being given only a one-game suspension for his hit on Kevin Hansen. (Rohr served that when the teams met Friday.) Those teams meet again this Friday at the Coliseum.

January 05, 2008

I don't recall ever seeing a coach get tossed from the game for nothing more than verbal abuse. Throwing sticks, water bottles or dry-erase boards, sure, but not just yapping.

Apparently, that's all Kalamazoo coach Brian Curran did to get tossed from the Komets' 5-2 victory over the Wings on Saturday night. Anyone who's seen "Bull Durham" can probably guess what he said, but I was a mile away in the press box so that's just a theory. Regardless, I think Curran should have gotten a little more bang for his getting tossed out. Rip the mascot's tongue out, swat him in the beak, or something.

I hate to write it, but the Wings looked better once their coach was sent off, outshooting the Komets 13-4 in the third period of a snoozer. I thought about going down to coach the third, but I figured Ed Campbell would be the only one who'd even given me the time of day, and of that I'm not even sure.

With these teams playing back-to-back games, on back-to-back days, in the same building, I'd hoped for a little more drama. It wasn't happening. The Wings, by the way, aren't spending the night in Fort Wayne. (Owners sure are taking advantage of that easier travel this season, eh?)

Luciano Aquino and Konstantin Shafranov both had two goals for the Komets. Aquino scored 38 seconds apart in the first period, after serving 12 minutes of penalties for high-sticking and then complaining about it to referee Brett Klosowski.

P.C. Drouin continued his torrid pace, too, with three assists.

Not much else to say about this one, except Evgeny Saidachev looked a little rusty but fairly solid after sitting out 16 games with a strained knee ligament. I'm setting the over-under on penalty minutes for Sunday at 35, so bring your pillows.

Defenseman Brent Henley's knee, which has held him out of all but one game this season, is feeling better, Komets general manager David Franke said.

So, arthroscopic surgery has been taken off the docket, for the time being.

Henley could be back in the lineup Friday, against the visiting Muskegon Fury, if his improvement continues.

Komets defenseman Kevin Hansen was in the press box tonight and said he's feeling sore but relieved to be OK after taking that brutal hit Wednesday from Justin Rohr. He hopes to be back in the lineup next weekend. I've had several people tell me that hit wasn't that bad, which is silly. There is something that youtube.com doesn't show -- Hansen's neck crunching at an awkward angle in the wrong direction. I initially said Rohr should get 15 games. Maybe that was overshooting it a bit, but the one-game suspension doled out by the league was at least five too few. The decision was based partly on Hansen's health, which is a dangerous precedent to set.

As the Port Huron Icehawks try to guarantee some sort of future -- they average a league-worst 1,241 fans per game -- they had a meeting with some knowledgeable fans.

Former Komets coach Greg Puhalski lost his debut as Wheeling's coach, in overtime.

Pay attention here, readers: I hoped it wouldn't come to this, but I have begun banning some people who have been leaving inappropriate, profane comments. The next step will be turning off the comments function altogether, so please keep things in good taste on the blog. My thanks to those of you who policed the blog in my absence and even let an editor know things were going awry without my knowledge. One of you said it best when pointing out, there are many kids who read this, too.

Fort Wayne Komets defenseman Kevin Hansen is still at Parkview Hospital undergoing tests early Thursday morning, but so far the news is good. According to general manager David Franke, a CT scan was negative and showed no broken bones in Hansen's neck. He may undergo an MRI later today, but the Komets were hopeful he'd be sent home sometime soon.

I guess you could say everyone's cautiously optimistic, but we'll know more later in the day. The concern, of course, remains his health and not necessarily his playing status.

Hansen, a defenseman and assistant captain, was injured in the third period of Wednesday's 4-1 victory over Muskegon. He was checked from behind and sent headfirst into the boards by Justin Rohr.

It took 12 minutes of medical care on the ice before Hansen was taken off on a stretcher.

January 02, 2008

Defenseman Kevin Hansen was still at Parkview Hospital undergoing tests late Wednesday night, general manager David Franke said.

"He was fully awake and never lost consciousness," Franke said. "He was able to move his arms and legs and get a good grip with his hands. ... He was in good spirits. We're not going to know anything definitive for awhile, but right now all the signs are positive."

Hansen was injured in the third period of the Komets' 4-1 victory over the Muskegon Fury. He was checked from behind by Justin Rohr and went headfirst into the boards.

The Fort Wayne Komets defeated the Muskegon Fury 4-1 on Wednesday night. But with apologies to left wing Matt Reynolds, who had the first hat trick of his career, that victory seems secondary right now.

Thanks to one of the dirtiest hits I've seen in my 11 seasons covering hockey and a lifetime of watching, Komets defenseman Kevin Hansen was injured during the third period when Justin Rohr checked him from behind and into the boards in front of the Komets' bench. Hansen was crouching when the hit took place.

According to team president Michael Franke, Hansen was complaining of severe pain in his neck but was able to move his extremities. I will try to get you an update on Hansen's condition tonight. He was taken to Parkview Hospital, after a 12-minute delay that saw him taken off on a stretcher.

The Fort Wayne players said, at least on the record, that they didn't think Rohr was intending to injure Hansen. And the belief was that referee Jarrod Ragusin made the appropriate call with a major penalty and a game misconduct.

The Komets will ask the league to review the incident. If disciplinarian Brad Jones doesn't give him at least a 15-game suspension for this hit, I will be surprised. Although, it doesn't appear that Rohr, a rookie, has a history of this sort of thing.

As for the game, the Komets didn't believe they played very well. Fatigue, they said, was a factor. They will not be on the ice Thursday before playing at Muskegon, Mich., on Friday.

Former Fort Wayne Komets coach Greg Puhalski, who guided the team to their last playoff championship in 2003, was hired to coach the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers on Wednesday. The Nailers were 9-20-3 before coach Glenn Patrick was reassigned to a scouting role.

Puhalski, 43, has a career record of 552-308-24.

He coached the Komets from 2000 to 2006 and also brought Fort Wayne two regular-season championships in the now defunct United Hockey League. Last season, he coached the UHL's Chicago Hounds, winning Coach of the Year honors before the team suspended operations.

Here's more coverage of the hiring. Apparently, Pat Bingham, Puhalski's replacement in Fort Wayne, was one of the people who recommended him for the job.

I've already received e-mails from Wheeling fans wanting to know what they're in for and here's what I told them:

There's no arguing with his record; he wins. He's only missed the playoffs once. He knows the games and knows the Xs and Os. He won't win any awards for colorfulness -- although, referee Brett Klosowski would disagree -- but being a players' coach shouldn't be a prerequisite for a losing team. In short: the Nailers should improve greatly.

I still think Puhalski was unfairly treated by way too many fans here. Believe me, I saw hundreds of his games and I know they weren't always the most exciting, but all the guy did was win here. That he was being criticized for being drab behind the bench I always found to be a little silly. And don't tell me his teams had no toughness (Jeff Worlton, Chad Cabana, Kevin Kotyluk, Kevin Bertram, Tommy Bolduc, Michel Massie).

January 01, 2008

I'm watching the outdoor game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres -- a blizzard, 20-degree temperatures, 70,000 fans, goaltender Ryan Miller wearing a tuque.

Priceless.

Anyway, my father calls me as they're resurfacing the ice in the middle of a period and asks, "When they're playing Shinny in the middle of winter in Western Saskatchewan, do you think they bring out the Zamboni to make the ice beautiful?"

I know this is a great opportunity to show the world Sidney Crosby and, therefore, you want glossy ice and all, and maybe the ruts in the ice would have made for some injuries, but Pops had a decent point. It would have been interesting to see NHLers play a real game of pond hockey here, but that's a pipe dream.

With that, I'll go pop in "Mystery, Alaska."

Speaking of which, at the end of that movie, when the Rangers pluck Stevie Weeks out of Mystery and send him to Binghamton -- presumably not in the United Hockey League years -- isn't that a blatant circumvention of the NHL draft? I'm sure Weeks tore it up with the B.C. Icemen though. And, for those who don't remember, that was Broome County, not British Columbia.

By the way, I never would have fathomed that another team could have more on-ice advertising than the Komets, but check out Rio Grande Valley. Wow, look at the faceoff circles. That's a monstrosity. Thanks to Greg Rajan of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, for bringing it to my attention.

And if you're still wondering what a tuque is: click here. OK, you're right, this one's more appropriate: click here.